


Among the Clouds

by Peacockery



Category: Cuphead - Fandom
Genre: Cartoon Physics, Fluff, M/M, Monsters, hinted romance - Freeform, request fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-12
Updated: 2018-05-12
Packaged: 2019-05-05 21:06:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14627036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Peacockery/pseuds/Peacockery
Summary: It was nice, having someone to fly with.





	Among the Clouds

**Author's Note:**

> This was a fic request from one of my readers, to which I was more than happy to indulge. I am sorry that this took so long to put up!

The skies were not safe for little cups.

On only the sunniest of days in the isle did Grim descend from his cloud top tower and take back the skies. The tender warmth against his scales, the whipping bursts of a breeze against his face, shaking his ears...it was a wonderful feeling, being up here in the atmosphere.

The second isle was his home, and as such he had long mapped out most of it during his many flights. On some days the gentle beast would soar among the harbors and bayside, carried along the updrafts through the salt and sharper winds (and maybe snapping up a tasty fish here and there). For other days, a gentle glide through the parks scattered around the heart of the island gave him the first sniffs of the morning among the dainty flower beds. Sometimes he even lounged beneath the massive candied tree which proudly stood among the main square, admiring the glassy reflections of the rainbow leaves. 

One time, he managed to perch right at the very tip of the genie’s pyramid facade and fan out his wings while onlookers gasped and gathered. The dragon stuck out his tongue and puffed out various shapes among the smoke plumes, emulating the various themes and interests of the resident magician before Djimmi’s patience ultimately waned and he was sent flapping back among the fluffy clouds once again.

So many gems among this trove of a place, and yet he always found new diamonds from his flights.

This sunny day, Grim soared the furthest he had ever gone in the west, breaching the steep cliffs and grassy plateaus where another great beast roamed.

He always landed carefully among the velvet grasses of the unspoiled ridge, outstretching his wings and tail in the same fashion of a descending swan. Grim never missed the chance to stick his snout down among the wild clover and soft blades to smell the earth as it should be- sweet and spoiling. Up here, not even the eagles flew. Rodents and rabbits were plentiful without the fear of their reapers. Of course, they instantly scattered once the scaly monster paid his visits.

Grim rolled his ears back while watching them scramble into the deeper patches and puffy shrubs. But, none would ever face a flame or claw on his end; he was not here to pillage and plunder. The dragon raised his head to glance around the rolling cliffside, feeling his teeth poking out from his cheeks as a hopeful smile stretched. He started to advance towards the only man-made structure nestled among the rocks.

No sane carpenter would build a large house up here. A more sensible viewer would take the gigantic clock in the center as a sign that no reasonable man set up residence where the air was thinner. Or maybe one did, if he were to live in a cuckoo clock. Grim snorted and puffed loudly to signal his approach.

The house trembled for a moment, then stilled. Cocking his head, Grim puffed again with a deeper grumble in his throat. He watched the humble shelter hop and rattle, scraping among the rocks and smacking against others while the resident inside started to stir. Magnificent wings of the most royal blue burst out from two appropriate slots on the sides, urging the lodging up into the air while buried legs began to push it up up like car jacks. The dragon fluttered his wings and tucked them back, bouncing once out of glee as he waited. His grin turned even toothier when Wally’s bright yellow beak smashed through the clock face and revealed his ruffled crimson head a moment later. The monstrous songbird’s eyes were rolling in their sockets from the impact, and he crowed grumpily at the rude awakening. Once his large peepers honed in on the visitor did he bristle his neck feathers and return the same affectionate smile.

They exchanged a brief nuzzling, before Wally cocked his head and looked him over with a squint. It had been some time since Grim had visited. A good number of missed sunny days, really. The dragon flattened his ears against his head, puffing out small ringlets of smoke.

It took a lot of time, guarding his hoard up in that tower…

But! Today was a very, very sunny day! And it was a perfect day to see some lovely feathers.

Grim circled around the large avian, almost in a giddy trot like an excited puppy. Wally watched him while slowly lowering himself back into a nesting form among the grasses, twitching his left eye once another noise inside the coop began knocking against the walls. He squawked and shook wildly a moment later, choosing to ignore the agitating whines coming from within. Children. His mood brightened again once Grim timidly nudged their maws together, side by side.

Perhaps a relaxing flight was in order.

Grim was the first to initiate, hopping once again in place to entice the other. Wally looked up at the clouds above, as if debating his options. There were no birds of prey up here anymore. Thanks to his contract, he had grown so large that predators feared encroaching on this space to hunt his kind or all of the little critters he had long befriended. But, the dragon understood the fear of vulnerability. He himself (in all of his endearing softness) had long been dismissed as a possible threat by the more sensible residents.He waited, lightly thumping his tail among the wild flowers as the bird took his time to think. Even though Wally ruled these skies now, there was always that lingering fear that one day he’d wake up small and fragile once again. 

Wally chuffed once he made his decision, nodding up at nothing in particular before he fanned his wings out and rose up once again. The knocking inside of his house armor agitated him again, but he was thankful that Grim’s soft chuckle was more smoke than singe. They both inspected the runway of grass and small stones, with the king of the songbirds taking the running leap first. Grim lingered behind, tapping his tail once more against the grass. He could never fathom out the logic in how that bird was able to stay perfectly airborne with at least a few hundred pounds of wood and nails encasing him. The dragon rumbled happily regardless and pranced among the plateau until the updraft caught under his wings.

Together they flew as a single pair through the immense great blue, gliding among the jetstreams and hopping among the clouds. Grim had learned through trouble itself to not land upon the flying house in jest, lest they both take a dangerous tumble from both being off-kilter. So, he remained alongside the avian’s flanks while basking in the sweet kiss of hot sunlight. Once the air thinned out did he swiftly arc around Wally to his other side in a graceful roll. The cuckoo looked at him with quiet yearning; he had been wishing for years to perform the same serenade.

The skies led them first to a colorful land of vivid pastels and glittering patches. Wally hesitantly tucked his legs in, but Grim wasn’t fazed. He was the first to dive down into the forbidden lands, nearly scraping his talons through the puffy branches of a cotton candy tree while fluttering to a hover and then a hopping halt in the middle of a candy floss meadow. He tucked his long tail around his legs like a perched cat, raising his ears up and snorting in a primal beckon. Somehow, the bird managed to keep himself in a hover despite his size and the massive armor he sported; Wally looked like he was panting as he crowed at the dragon for being so foolish. No soul survived Sugarland without an invitation.

But, his warning went unheeded. Grim rolled his eyes slowly, shifting his gaze from his partner to instead a delicious little patch of butterscotch flavored buttercups. Against the panicked squawking from above, he grazed peacefully upon the sweets while his belly purred with smoking satisfaction. By the time he lifted his head back up, the songbird was sensible enough to perch in one of the sturdier peppermint trees. Wally was side eyeing the area while intermittently smacking his wings against the sides of the house in order to keep the curious Junior inside. He shifted a bit in his spot, leaning in to listen to the crunches while keeping a frantic sentry out for anything that was red, white and very, VERY angry.

Grim remained outwardly oblivious to it all, hoping that his blissful peace in Sugarland’s meadow would prompt Wally to realize that the area was safe...provided one was with a permitted guest. That much became obvious as an army of peeping eyes began to peek out from the colorful bushes and around the sides of the sweet trees. A waffle with wings shot out from the pink puffs of the nearest cotton candy tree, glaring down at the intruders as hot syrup oozed from its mouth. Despite the aggressive stance it took, it made no actual moves to attack. A literally sappy grin soaked into its puffy face at the sight of Grim; the dragon somehow, in his imposing bulk, managed to blend in with the sugar blades of the artificial grass. Grim raised his head up and sniffed the sentient breakfast in greeting, while Wally watched with a dumbstruck look.

The tropes of dragons and princesses didn’t even escape the already nonsensical rules of the islands. Grim was certainly not telling his secrets, but he and the Baroness apparently were on very pleasant terms with one another. Ever cautious, Wally slipped off of the branch he was resting upon, hovering to the ground while keeping his head low. The gang of living candies and baked goods eyed him cautiously, but remained mostly distant as long as he remained in the company of Bon Bon’s honored guest. 

Wally swallowed dryly as he scanned the grasses. His eyes widened at the sight of gummy worms wiggling through what looked like chocolate pudding and sprinkled cookie dust. For the first time this trip, he allowed Junior to hop out as he giddily pecked at the delicious morsels.

Once the feasting was finished, Grim plucked off one of his own glittering scales and presented it to a lollipop butler as payment for the intrusion. The candy looked visibly relieved as it accepted the offering and made mention to bid good blessings from the Baroness. Wally shifted nervously, but ultimately uprooted one of his chest feathers with a wince. He was more than relieved to follow the dragon back up to the skies.

This time, he chose the destination. One of his favorite pastimes when flying was to find a toasty section of rail tracks to set his feet upon; he enjoyed basking and warming under the sun. No doubt Grim did as well. The cuckoo chose the highest section of track, looking down at awestruck faces scattering among colorful tents and strings of flags. For obvious reasons, his size didn’t allow him to enjoy the famous fairgrounds that the second isle was known for, but that didn’t stop him from being a nuisance for his own pleasures.

He shifted his weight evenly while enjoying the sting of heat from the metal beams touching his cool feet, ruffling up every feather on the top of his head as he relaxed. Grim had his turn to be cautious, instead hovering in one spot as he looked the place over with yearning eyes. He was a more gentle soul, and yet his ferocious appearance had long terrified the more humble folk. Perhaps this could be his chance to finally try a battered sausage...a loud squawk of impatience from behind him ultimately spurred the dragon into being a second roadblock for the rollercoaster zipping right towards them. He dug his claws into the edge of the platform while folding his ears back, puffing anxious plumes of smoke as he watched a rather snappy looking set of cars charging up the ramp that led to their section. Wally had his eyes closed, making no effort to move just yet. Grim couldn’t do the same.

Guilt spurred the scaly beast to dive off of the side, flapping his wings in a frantic effort to right his position as startled fairgoers shrieked beneath him. Wally opened his eyes, grumbling to himself during his own reluctant leap into the air. Grim could make out a blur of faces as the coaster sped by, and what looked to be a vivid spectacle of blues and reds whooping with glee among them…

He liked Sugarland much more. Ironically enough, it didn’t stress him out as much as this place did.

Wally frowned, but nodded his head. Perhaps this idea had been a bit too much. He waited for the dragon to decide the next spot, and followed him eastwards.

The castle tower that Grim always circled was in a secluded patch on the map, free of nosy faces and curious wanderers. Once Grim landed near its base did he immediately roll onto his back with relief and wiggle about happily. Home sweet home...it wasn’t often that his songbird could visit this far from his territory. A light shake of the earth sounded off next to him, as the monstrous bird landed with all his added baggage to follow. He waited for the nosy Junior to poke his head out of the hole where the clock face once stood, where the child stood on his father’s neck while tapping his wings together in thought. The squab settled for chasing giant butterflies while his parent relaxed in peace.

The two monsters enjoyed the breezes wafting down from the distant mountains. Grim tucked his tail around one of the avian’s scaly legs, while Wally tenderly pecked out some debris that had hitched a right along the dragon’s shiny scales. The warm breath of Grim’s snorting caused his neck plumes to bristle once again while the skin holding them rippled with pleasure underneath. Sniffing turned to preening and despite the large flatness of Grim’s tongue, it was rather dry and a bit rough as it dug through the plumes and down to scrape out any impurities. Wally held as still as he could, and heated up in embarrassment at the amount to pleased coos his throat was producing.

When the sun started to set, Grim climbed his way atop the large structure encasing his companion, and spread out to bask in the remaining rays of the day. When nightfall hit, Wally had tucked his legs underneath the protective base of the house, and withdrew both Junior and his head back inside. Just as he was about to sleep, he felt something warm and snuffling nudging against his beak from the outside.

He crooned out something nonsensical while returning the sweet nuzzle goodnight to the gentle giant’s maw.

**Author's Note:**

> Wanna ask me stuff or hang out? Take a gander at my blog. :)
> 
> Socks-on-parade.tumblr.com


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